A protected witness has linked a police officer dressed in civilian clothes to the fatal shooting of activist Rex Masai during the anti-government protests on June 20, 2024.
The witness, identified by initials GG, told the inquest court that he positively identified the officer from photographs taken during the anti-finance law protests that rocked various parts of the country and which culminated in the shelving of the 2024-2025 Finance Act.
Testifying from a secluded office with his voice distorted, GG, a photojournalist whose identity is concealed for his safety and security, said he had been assigned to cover the protests around Parliament and the adjacent areas of Holy Family, City Hall and KICC.
GG took the witness stand following a ruling by trial magistrate Geoffrey Onsaringo that he testifies under the witness protection provision.
Testifying undercover, GG linked a plainclothes police officer to the fatal shooting of a protester during the anti-Finance Bill staged in Nairobi on June 18 and 20, 2024.
GG gave an elaborate account of his assignments at Holy Family Basilica on June 18, 2024 where he witnessed uniformed officers, others dressed in civilian clothing, dispersing peaceful protestors using teargas.
He recounted that one officer stood out, armed with a teargas launcher and a mobile phone and was later seen arresting a journalist.
The witness noted that while capturing images, they managed to document the officer’s actions clearly, including interactions with protestors and journalists.
Later on June 20, 2024, the same officer was spotted again, this time along Uhuru Highway near the Intercontinental Hotel.
The witness stated that the officer, still in civilian clothing, was assisting uniformed officers in removing stones that had been mounted on the road.
"The officer was easily recognisable due to a distinctive birthmark on the face, and was again carrying a walkie-talkie and a blue phone, details that matched the earlier footage," GG recalled.
Shown photo images and video footage by the court, the witness confirmed the consistency in appearance and gear.
On June 18, the officer, Isaiah Murangiri, who also testified before Onsaringo, wore a black cap, blue shirt, and wrist artifact while carrying a walkie-talkie, a phone and a tear gas canister.
Police officer Isaiah Murangiri Ndumba, testifies at Milimani Law Courts before senior Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo on February 5, 2025, in an inquest of Rex Masai who was shot during Gen Z protests.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation
He was also seen on June 20, wearing a black shirt, blue trousers, white shoes, and a black face mask.
The witness explained that they had continued to document the officer’s movements over both days, not out of personal familiarity, but because of the officer’s repeated aggressive behaviour, including the moment he allegedly launched a teargas canister at a journalist before entering a police vehicle outside the Supreme Court.
“It wasn’t familiarity, it was his repeated behaviour and appearance at critical moments that drew my focus,” GG responded to a question from a lawyer and also prosecuting counsel Jalson Makori.
He said he recognised the officer as he stood out exclusively because of his aggressiveness. "That was why I kept my lens on him,” he said.
The witness told the court that the protests were peaceful, with demonstrators chanting slogans such as “Reject Finance Bill.”
“The protests were peaceful. People were chanting ‘Reject Finance Bill.’ I did not see any criminal gangs. The force was being used by plainclothes officers,” the witness stated.
He said he could not tell if criminal gangs were present, and that only plainclothes officers were observed making arrests and using force.
The identification of the officer, he explained, was based on consistent visual elements, behavior, and their movement in and out of police vehicles.
The prosecution, led by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), had opposed revealing witnesses as it would endanger their lives, given that the testimony directly implicated law enforcement officers.
The inquest to establish the cause of death of Rex continues on September 1 and September 8, 2025
